Artificial Love, Caitlyn Boynton

People often use nature to describe their love, but my love has never been labeled as anything other than artificial. Artificial, fake, man-made, a delusion.

I tried to be natural, I tried to be like the normal lovers But I am a liar. Everyone knows I am not natural. My lover is not natural.

I am told that all I know is not real. I created this fall from grace all by myself I have been transformed into a Midas against my will. Everything I touch is artificial. Artificial, fake, man-made, a delusion.

Are the roses that bloom between us also fake? The iridescent red that I colored with my devotion Turned into a cold plastic within my hands. But my lover has planted a seed of salvation within me, And I have been rescued from the violence of who I was before. Even if it is still false in the eyes of the world. They hold the thorns of my love to my throat and Denounce my savior. But I say, so what?

We found sanctuary in our bodies Hidden away from the natural lovers. If I must hide, I will hide with my artificial creation. I will remain at the hands of my delusion for a little longer.

My tears born from the cruelty I face pale in comparison To the happiness I feel when I’m with my lover. The world struggles to pull a smile out of me, But it’s an ever present feature around the one I call mine.

My love has never been labeled as anything other than Artificial. My lover is a fake. These roses are man-made. And I am nothing but a delusion.

But it’s still love nonetheless.

Artificial Love

Caitlyn Boynton '23